Here’s a simple recipe for Roasted Red Pepper Sauce with Guajillo Chiles that you will want to put on everything! A delicious and versatile sauce for topping all your favorite Mexican food recipes from enchiladas to chilaquiles. Vegan, paleo-friendly, and gluten-free!
Sometimes it’s nice to add a versatile recipe to your rotation that boosts the things you’re already making.
I’m sure, like me, 90% of the time you make recipe-free dinners that are family favorites you know everyone will enjoy.
For me this list includes, pan-fried steak or grilled carne asada, simple tacos made with grilled chicken or vegetables, or a pot of beans and some steamed rice.
What seals the deal with all these meals is having a delicious sauce to drizzle on top to make it feel special.
This roasted red pepper sauce with the fruity flavor of guajillo chiles works beautifully with a variety of dishes so it’s always like a little gift to myself when I take the time to make it and have some stored away in the fridge.
what are guajillo chiles
Guajillo chili peppers are the dried form of marisol chiles. They are the second most popular dried chili pepper in Mexican cooking after the ancho chile pepper.
Their popularity is due to their mild heat and soulful flavor profile. The guajillo pepper is not very spicy at all.
They fall between 2,500 to 5,000 on the Scoville scale. To give you reference to what Scoville heat means, a jalapeño is between 8,000 to 10,000.
If you want more info on Mexican ingredients, check out my Mexican Pantry post!
how to cook with dried guajillo chiles
There are few simple steps that need to be done before you can cook with the chile guajillo.
- First, remove the seeds and stems while they are dry.
- Rinse the inside and outside of the guajillo chili to get rid of any dust and stray seeds.
- Dry toast the chile de guajillo in a hot comal or cast iron skillet until fragrant and the color has changed to a muted brick red.
- Simmer gently in hot water until very flexible and soft, about 15 minutes.
- You’re ready to cook!
now for the sauce
So we’ve got our dried guajillo chiles ready to go, what about the rest of the sauce?
This sauce is pretty simple. At its foundation are two basic techniques of Mexican cuisine: charring the vegetables and frying the blended sauce to really melt all the flavors together.
For this sauce, I’ve roasted the red peppers by charring them over the flame on my gas stove. If you don’t have a gas range, you can char them underneath the broiler or use store-bought roasted red peppers.
The next step is to char the remaining vegetables on a hot comal or cast iron skillet. Get the pan really hot then add the vegetables and let them cook until blackened on all sides.
Combine the soaked chiles with the charred vegetables, herbs, spices, and the roasted red peppers in a blender and blend until really smooth.
The last step is to fry the sauce in hot oil. Add a bit of the water you soaked the guajillo chiles in or vegetable broth make it thin enough so it coats the back of a spoon. Don’t forget to taste it and season with salt.
what to use this sauce on
- Mexican Baked Eggs with Pierogies
- Crock Pot Borracho Beans
- Deep Dish Black Bean Enchilada Casserole
- Shredded Beef for Tacos {Carne Deshebrada}
- Beer-Battered Fish Tacos
- Black Bean Pupusas
- Caldo de Pollo {Slow Cooker Mexican Chicken Soup}
Make Saturday, Sauce Day
Dedicate this Saturday to making this sauce then try it on everything you make next week! If you make it, let me know how you like it! Share a photo and tag me on Instagram @holajalapeno and #holajalapeno or leave a comment below.
Roasted Red Pepper Sauce with Guajillo Chiles
Here’s a simple recipe for Roasted Red Pepper Sauce with Guajillo Chiles that you will want to put on everything! A delicious and versatile sauce for topping all your favorite Mexican food recipes from enchiladas to chilaquiles. Vegan, paleo-friendly, and gluten-free!
Ingredients
- 2 large or 3 small red bell peppers or 11.5 ounces jarred roasted red peppers
- 4 dried guajillo chiles
- 1 pound ripe tomatoes
- 3 cloves garlic, unpeeled
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano {preferably Mexican oregano}
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3/4 cup chili-soaking liquid or vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
Roast the peppers. Lay whole red bell peppers directly over a high gas flame on the stovetop and cook until charred and blackened on all sides, turning occasionally with tongs. If you don't have a gas range you can broil them or skip this step and use jarred roasted peppers.
Once peppers are blackened remove from heat and place in a heatproof bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let sit on the counter until cool enough to handle.
Peel off blackened skin, remove stem and seeds and rinse under cold water. Roughly chop and place in blender.
Prep the guajillo chiles. Remove stems and seeds and rinse chiles. Heat a dry cast iron skillet or comal over medium heat (not too hot or they will burn and become bitter). Place chiles on hot comal and toast, turning frequently until they are fragrant, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a small saucepan, cover with water and simmer until soft, about 15 minutes.
Char the vegetables. Meanwhile, char tomatoes, onion, and garlic on the hot comal until blackened on all sides. Check frequently as the garlic will cook first. Remove garlic and continue turning and charring vegetables, about 10-15 minutes. You can also do this under a broiler or on the grill.
Blend the sauce. Remove garlic skin and transfer vegetables to the blender with the peppers. Add oregano, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper, soaked guajillo chiles and 3/4 cup of the chili-soaking liquid or vegetable broth. Blend on high until very smooth. Strain through a fine mesh sieve if you'd like a super smooth sauce.
Fry the sauce. Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large frying pan. Stir in red pepper sauce (be careful it will spatter, so stir constantly) and bring to a simmer.
Cook about 5 minutes. Taste and add more salt if needed. The sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, but not gloppy. If the sauce is too thick add a bit more chili-soaking liquid. Keep warm to serve immediately or remove from heat, let cool then cover and refrigerate for up to 7 days until ready to use.
Nutrition Information:
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 0Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 0mgCarbohydrates: 0gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 0g
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